The Foreign Office has issued 'do not travel' warnings for 36 countries and territories due to serious dangers including armed conflict, military coups, civil unrest, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters. Travelling against this advice invalidates any normal travel insurance and makes consular assistance on the ground challenging.
Two types of travel alerts
There are two main types of 'do not travel' alerts: either for the whole country or for parts of it. The Foreign Office also advises 'all but essential travel' for some countries, meaning holiday plans should be reconsidered.
According to the Foreign Office, they only advise against travel if the risk to British nationals is unacceptably high, for example due to armed conflict, military coups, civil unrest, disease outbreaks, or natural disasters. For terrorist threats, they only advise against travel in situations of extreme and imminent danger, where the threat is sufficiently specific, large-scale, or widespread to affect British nationals severely.
Countries with full travel bans
Countries where the Foreign Office advises against all travel include Belarus, Russia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Afghanistan. For Libya, travel is banned apart from the cities of Benghazi and Misrata, where essential travel only is advised.
For Ukraine, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, Western Sahara, Venezuela, Myanmar, and Pakistan, the Foreign Office advises against all travel for parts of the country and essential travel only for others.
Regional risks and updates
In the Middle East, the Foreign Office advises against all travel to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border, except for the town of El Salloum, where essential travel only is advised. For the Occupied Palestinian Territories, all travel is advised against. There is a risk of more attacks and unforeseen escalation in the region for Oman and the United Arab Emirates, with travellers advised to be prepared for delays and cancellations.
In Europe, the Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia due to risks from its continuing invasion of Ukraine. For Kosovo, the FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to the municipalities of Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, and areas of Mitrovica north of the river Ibar. In the Americas, Haiti and parts of Venezuela are under travel warnings.
The Foreign Office warns that even if a country is not on the list, there may still be restrictions in place, for example at contentious borders or in particular regions. Travellers are advised to check the Foreign Office website for the latest travel warnings and restrictions before planning a trip.
